


Pom Poms and AstroTurf

by SpicyRedPaladin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Football, Alternate Universe - High School, American Football, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cheerleader Shiro (Voltron), Flirting, Football Player Lance (Voltron), Kind of Dates, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Lance (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) has Both Arms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 12:29:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14694261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyRedPaladin/pseuds/SpicyRedPaladin
Summary: Lance had his choice of the cheerleaders every year, but he'd dated all the single ones by the time he was a Senior. So when a new cheerleader shows up, how can he keep away? Even if the new cheerleader happens to be one Takashi Shirogane, a young man who was both taller and broader that Lance could ever imagine.





	Pom Poms and AstroTurf

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ManifestMerlin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManifestMerlin/gifts).



> _Ahhh look at this it's finally done._ I've literally been working on this for more than 2 weeks.  
>  I hope you all enjoy this labor of love!
> 
> Beta'd by my buddy Basteun!  
> ~Eli

Lance stretched as he and Allura watched the second stringer football players practice before the game. Not that they’d actually get to play. That was reserved for the first string like Lance and Allura, who were getting a blessed reprieve before the sun started getting low and the crowds showed up. Lance glanced over as he heard footsteps, perking up as he saw the cheerleaders approaching. Allura turned and grinned as her girlfriend, Pidge, ran over and hugged her. Lance wished he could say he wasn’t jealous of how cute the two were, but he was so very jealous.

He turned his glance back over to the cheerleaders, trying to pick his flirt victim for the year. Not Shay, she had already slapped him. Luki was a lesbian, so he’d have no luck there. Plaxum was last year, Nyma was the year before that. His eyes darted to the last cheerleader, the only new one, and then proceeded to nearly pop out of his skull. It was the last thing he expected to see.

The last cheerleader to walk up was tall and broad and, dare Lance think it, probably the hottest guy he’d seen since he watched Magic Mike with ‘Lura and Pidge. He sure hoped covering his face would hide the way it lit up like a cherry, because, _god_ , what kind of man had muscles like that except guys on TV?! He peeked out and turned to address Pidge and Allura.

“So, uh… Since when do we have guy cheerleaders? And who is that anyway?! I swear to god, I’ve never seen him.”

Pidge laughed and tossed a pom-pom at Lance, snorting when it hit him in the face.

“That’s Shiro. He just transferred, and he was the cheer captain at his old school. So the coach was like ‘sure why not’. He’s pretty cool, actually.”

Lance peeked back over at the large man, and Pidge grinned deviously before calling Shiro over. Lance tried to stop her, but Allura laughed and joined until Shiro finally trotted over. Lance tried his best to get away, but Allura grabbed him by the arm.

“Oh, no you don’t, Lance. You’re going to stay right here and meet our new cheerleader.”

Shiro joined them with a smile and Pidge grinned, urging him to introduce himself. Much to Lance’s relief, Shiro looked just as nervous as he was flustered. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as Lance had initially expected.

“Uh, well… My name’s Takashi Shirogane, but I just let people call me Shiro ‘cause it’s easier. And, uh.. Well, I’m from Japan but I’ve lived in the States since I was a kid so I don’t know anything about those weird trends and stuff…”

Lance grinned. Cute _and_ shy? What were the chances? Bolstered by the endearing introduction and Shiro’s overall cuteness factor, which Lance figured was at about a nine out of ten, Lance stepped up to the proverbial plate, straightening up and grinning as wide as he could manage.

“Well, Kashi, it’s an absolute _pleasure_ to meet you! The name’s Lance McClain and I am the second best offensive player on the team, right behind ‘Lura. You ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask! I know, like, basically everyone. But of course, you’ll need my number for that!”

Allura and Pidge stared, mouths slightly agape, at Lance in pure amazement at how quickly he’d gone from lovestruck and bashful to his normal flirtatious and obnoxious self. Shiro stared at him for a long moment, long enough that Lance was starting to get nervous. Finally, the cheerleader laughed.

“Kashi, huh? No one’s ever called me cereal before. But, yeah, thanks Lance. We can swap numbers after the game.”

Lance’s eyes widened and his grin followed suit, nearly cracking his face in two. Shiro offered his hand and Lance took it gratefully, giving a hard shake. Oh jeez, Shiro’s hand was really big and really strong. Did the guy bathe in muscle milk or something?

“Awesome. And, for the record, you’re coming to our after-game party. Just follow my truck after the game, kay?”

Shiro laughed and shook his head, but agreed. Allura finally introduced herself, and Shiro shook her hand too. When the cheer coach whistled for Pidge and Shiro to come back, the man waved and gave Lance a smile. That smile was for Lance, right? God, Shiro would probably be the death of him.

\-----------

Lance passed his days staring longingly at Shiro. He firmly believed that Shiro bathed in water sent from the gods of Olympus or Asgard or some other Elysium with beefy, hot gods that looked great in just about anything. He firmly believed that the chicken suit Shiro was wrestled into for spirit week was the best look that had graced that godlike body. Especially since he was twerking in said chicken suit.

He was honestly so happy that he’d met Shiro, even if the days were passing too fast for his liking. Everything was a blur, but whenever he was with Shiro, everything seemed to slow to a grinding halt. It was like everything else rushed around them, and, at first, Lance had no clue why he felt like that.

It was a sunny day when he finally figured it all out. He and Shiro were sprawled in the back of Lance’s truck, trying to study during a surprise visit from all 8 of his nieces and nephews. Lance sighed shaking his head and throwing down his pen.

“I still don't get it, man… why would they even put _imaginary_ numbers in here? The only things that are supposed to be imaginary are Bigfoot and unicorns!”

Shiro shook his head and laughed.

“I agree that there shouldn't be imaginary numbers, but Bigfoot and unicorns are definitely real, my bro.”

Lance laughed back.

“You sound like Luis! Do you think El Chupacabra is real too? Or the Jersey devil?”

Shiro sat up, fists on his hips.

“Of course! No one can convince me otherwise! Not even Bad Bitch Lance McClain!”

Lance grinned at the use of his nickname.

“Whatever, Cereal Boy. Next you're gonna tell me the Illuminati controls the UK and that Nessy and Zuckerberg are dating.”

Shiro blushed and muttered something about not being that weird, and Lance felt his heart stop. The cheerleader looked so damn _cute_ with pink dusted across his scar. Lance gulped and looked away.

_No way you just thought that. Shiro is a dude. Shiro is your best friend. No fucking way you just thought he was cute._

He glanced over again to see Shiro buried in his trig textbook. Damn. Shiro was cute. Not pulpy cute, either. He was full blown, 100%, _that way_ cute. Lance tried to tell himself it wasn't so, but he suddenly recalled just how often he started at Shiro’s ass or biceps or pecs or… wow, he really stared at Shiro a lot…

Lance couldn't stop thinking about it, barely doing any of his homework and instead starting at Shiro longingly. So he was attracted to a cheerleader. No big deal. So that cheerleader happened to be his best friend. Also no big deal. He just had to act cool. Cool, cool, cool. He could do that. Lancey Lance was a loverboy, after all, right? Right, yeah.

Suddenly he was aware that Shiro was starting back at him, waiting patiently. _Shit, did he ask me something?_

“I, um… can you repeat that? I think I spaced out…”

Shiro shook his head and laughed.

“I asked if you wanted to go grab something at McD’s, my treat.”

Lance blushed and nodded.

“Oh, yeah, definitely! Lemme go tell mama and put my books up. We can take my truck.”

Shiro nodded, moving to the passenger seat and waiting patiently for Lance. The whole drive there, and while sitting in the parking lot eating, Lance was all too aware of just how much this felt like a date. Well, to him anyway. Shiro probably just thought they were hanging out. Lance was determined to feel the same, no matter what. He made up his mind that night. He could _not_ tell Shiro about his crush.

\----------

Shiro knew that Lance was dense. Maybe more than dense. Yeah, definitely more than dense. He'd worked so hard, talked to Allura for hours to make sure he did everything right, and he still couldn't get Lance to flirt with him like he did with the girls at school. Still couldn’t get Lance to notice his feelings.

So he decided to change his tactics. He became the pursuer instead of waiting for Lance to pursue him. He casually tried to drop little hints about his interest, offering to buy Lance’s lunch or getting him little gifts and even offering to go to Homecoming with him when Lance was moping about not having a date. Lance lapped up the attention, and Shiro honestly had high hopes that it might be working. Maybe his little crush was finally being reciprocated.

There was one incident, however, that left no doubt in Shiro’s mind. Shiro had been having suspicions that Lance was interested, even before their first ‘date’ when they ditched studying to get McDonald’s. It was small things, like the way Lance’s eyes hung a little longer than they should have or the way he blushed and sputtered whenever Shiro asked him out on what the cheerleader affectionately called ‘prototype dates’. Not that Lance would ever know Shiro called them that.

It was one of these prototype dates that Shiro finally decided that Lance was truly interested. They were sitting in the back of Lance’s truck, much like the first time. However, instead of sitting in Lance’s driveway with kids running around and screaming, they were at a lake, watching their friends swim and play ‘chicken’ while they tried to finish studying for a test. Lance’s head popped up at a particularly large splash, grinning when he saw Keith’s head pop out of the water and Pidge and Allura cheering. Hunk leaned down to help Keith up, laughing a bit as well.

Lance sat his books aside and stretched, yawning. Shiro couldn’t help but admire the way Lance’s skin shone with sweat. He couldn’t help his eyes from trailing lower to the flesh just above Lance’s board shorts. What could he say? He was a horny teenager, and Lance was hot! His eyes trailed back up slowly before coming to a chilled stop on Lance’s face. Lance was looking at him, a bemused smirk and cute dusting of blush brightening his face.

“See something you like, Kashi?”

Shiro felt his face flush. This was it. This was his chance to say something so suave and smooth that Lance would be swept off his feet! He gulped and opened his mouth.

“Shiro, Lance! Put the books down and get your asses in the water!”

Shiro looked over to where Pidge had yelled from, disappointed that his chance had been ruined. Lance laughed, though, jumping off of the tailgate and turning to grab Shiro’s hand, tugging a bit to urge him onward. Both of them were still blushing, and Shiro couldn’t help but thank whatever god told Lance to grab his hand.

Lance and Shiro went on to join the others in the water, playing happily until the sun went down. They all broke off then, Allura and Pidge going off together for ‘alone time’ and Keith heading off with Hunk to ‘study’. The others knew the two defensive players were dating, but they let their friends think they were being sneaky. That just left Shiro and Lance there together, watching the sunset together from Lance’s tailgate.

Shiro glanced over at Lance, captivated by the way the sun reflected off the water and shone on Lance’s face, highlighting his cheeks and making him look like some kind of god. Shiro decided that thought came from his inner horny teenager. He smiled when Lance looked at him and smiled.

“Admiring me again, big guy?”

Shiro grinned; this time, no one was around to interrupt him. He knew exactly what to say, exactly what would make Lance squirm and swoon. He’d been paying close attention, and he had been ready for this moment for a long time.

“Probably. Who knows.”

Perfect. Play a bit hard to get. Lance loved it when girls did that. Shiro couldn’t help but grin when Lance blushed and looked away. He’d done it. He’d gotten Lance to turn red and get flustered. There was definitely hope for Takashi Shirogane.

\----------

Shiro was on edge all day on the bus. And and the other cheerleaders had been going over what could happen through the whole ride to the football stadium of a strange town. Would this be the night Altea High School lost? Would they come away victorious?

The bus rolled to a stop. The football team was already here, no doubt running drills on the field. Shiro and the other cheerleaders gathered their duffels bags. As the small group trekked into the field house, Pidge nudged Shiro’s ribs.

“Hey, we’re playing G Prep and stuff, and I was doing some reading and apparently we’ve never beaten them or something.”

Shiro patted Pidge’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Hey, Allura and Lance are gonna be playing tonight. You know they aren’t going to let any prissy prep schoolers get past ’em.”

Pidge nodded, seemingly bolstered by his words.

To Shiro, it felt like the clock wound down to game time way too quickly. Suddenly the sky was dark and the stadium lights lit the turf. The teams were announced, and some guy made shitty commentary about each and every boy or girl on the team. It seemed like he especially called out Allura for being a girl on a football team, and Shiro practically had to hold Pidge down so the little ball of fury wouldn’t hurt anyone.

It was obvious, however, that whoever this announcer was had nothing against G Prep. He announced every member on their team as though they were a celebrity. Lotor Sincline, the defensive middle linebacker, the school’s golden boy and so of the dean. Zethrid and Acxa, the two defensive tackles, both with distinguished families at the school. Not cuts about these two being girls on a football team.

When the game began, everyone was on edge, the cheerleaders on both teams yelling their lungs out to bolster their boys and girl. And it really seemed to do wonders. Each band seemed to battle whenever a touchdown was scored, and soon it was evident who was slowly pulling out on top. At half time, G Prep had the lead at 21 - 13.

Shiro managed to catch eyes with Lance during half time, giving him a bright smile. He hoped it was enough to spur the wide receiver. He felt his heart swell when Lance grinned and sent him a quick wink before pulling his helmet back on. Shiro was glad he’d been working himself so much, his blush well hidden by the red of exertion.

The teams met in the middle as the third quarter began. Shiro watched with bated breath. He knew the drill for this situation. Allura would make a pass to Lance, one he was meant to catch at the 20 yard line. From there, Lance would make a break for the in zone. His long legs had never failed this play. He was undoubtedly the fastest on the team, Allura coming at a close second.

The whistle blew. He heard the hike. Saw the ball raise in Allura’s hands. And then it was in the air, sailing towards the 20 yard line, the same line Lance was sprinting to as though his very life depended on it. The pass was clean, Lance catching it with the grace Shiro had seen so many times. And then the whistle blew, and the band played. A cry ran through the visitors’ stands, joy erupting through the Altea High fans. The kick for an extra point was clean. 21 - 20, favoring G Prep.

It felt like the third quarter was over in a flash. A flash that included a second touchdown for Altea High. The fourth quarter went back and forth, the two teams kept in a tight stalemate, never straying more than 20 yards either way from the center line. The cheerleaders stayed close together, the last minute ticking slowly, stressfully, _agonizingly._ Finally, the final buzzer sounded.

Altea High had done it. 26 - 21. An excruciatingly close game. When it was all said and done, the team congratulated and finally released, Shiro was waiting patiently by the football team’s bus. He grinned when he saw Lance, who grinned as well. Allura gave his teammate a small push, and that was all they needed.

Shiro and Lance ran into one another’s arms, crying and laughing. They pulled away after a moment, staring into one another’s eyes. Shiro took a deep breath and moved in first. He was surprised that Lance leaned up to meet him. The two melted together for a moment before pulling back, both grinning like idiots.

“You like me?!”

“I could ask you the same thing!”

They laughed and kissed again, holding each other tighter. To the side, their friends watched happily, Allura and Pidge sharing their own victory kisses. Emboldened by the display of affection, Keith took Hunk’s hand.The six soon came together, laughing happily beneath the lights of the stadium parking lot. For even just a moment, everything was as it should be.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading through ! If you enjoyed, please kudo and comment! It keeps me motivated!


End file.
